boiler parts from ebay - are they copies? can the quality be trusted? BAXI diverter valve

[boolie]

My Baxi Main Eco Elite needs a new diverter cartridge. The manufacturers part costs between £50 and £60

Potterton 3-Way Valve Cartridge 7656807

The Potterton diverter valve is an instrument that only appears in combi boilers. It allows the hot water to be directed to the central heating (radiators) or to the hot water system (taps). This is what separates a normal boiler from a combi boiler due to the fact that boilers are able to...

www.cityplumbing.co.uk

However, the same part number is selling for £11 to £13 on ebay

MAIN COMBI ECO ELITE 30 DIVERTER VALVE CARTRIDGE 7656807 720003100 NEW | eBay

Baxi Duo tec 24 Combi ErP. Baxi Duo tec 28 Combi ErP. Baxi Duo tec 33 Combi ErP. Baxi Duo tec 40 Combi ErP. Baxi 24 COMBI Erp. Baxi 28 COMBI Erp. Baxi 33 COMBI Erp. Baxi 40 COMBI Erp.

www.ebay.co.uk

You can even get it with the motor thrown in for ~£22!

BAXI ACU MOTOR & CARTRIDGE 720003100 & 248733 BRAND NEW | eBay

Baxi Duo Tec 24 Combi ErP. Baxi Duo Tec 28 Combi ErP. Baxi Duo Tec 33 Combi ErP. Baxi Duo Tec 40 Combi ErP. Baxi 24 Combi ErP. Baxi 28 Combi ErP. Baxi 33 Combi ErP. Baxi 40 Combi ErP.

www.ebay.co.uk

There must be a catch surely??!? I assume the ebay part must be a copy. Is it worth punting for the the ebay part?

 

[martygturner]

Read the reviews...but you can get 3 or 4 of them for the same as one "real" one.

I say real as I had a set of boiler insulation panels delivered as OEM which turned out to be not made in England as stated on the website but made in China's it said on the box...the manufacturer's appointed parts supplied said this was as good as but did refund the £116 difference between the ebay version and the oem exactly the same one...so you have to ask where was the english manufacturer of boilers getting their parts from ?

 

[Fred Blogs]

"Real" LOL. Whether you buy the indecently marked up ones from the manufacturer or the cheapos from Ebay they are all made in a sweatshop in China.

 

[Anon_E_Mouse]

Fitted quite a few of these, never had any problems with them.

 

[ianmcd]

never had any problems with them

 

[boolie]

@Nige F - thanks for voting - but the consensus was buy it off fleabay.. you voted for the original part. Have you had a bad experience with the cheap versions?

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

For my occasional amusement, and out of curiosity, I sometimes attempt to track down some of these expensive items which they advertise on TV, from the factory making them in China. Some of the markups are truly ridiculous. One particular item, which was really hammered on TV, sold for £350. I managed to track the item down to the source, which sold the original item for £35 delivered.

 

[CBW]

Wouldn’t bother me, if it lasts ok as others. Quite possibly the same part.

 

[cdbe]

Saw a video about an aftermarket car part the other day - clearly showed where the VAG part number had been scraped off. But obviously this isn't always the case. I bought an aftermarket led mirror indicator for my VW Touran last week - complete crap - it works, but the pins were so flimsy I had real trouble plugging the connector in and one of the lugs that's supposed to take a fixing screw just had a big hole in it. Needed it for mot otherwise it would have gone straight back.

Bought a refurbished fan for my ideal classic last year, £45 vs the hundreds for a real one - pretty poor (I think as people on here said it would be) the cooling fins made a bit of noise till whatever was rubbing wore away and now the bearings a bit noisy - found another eBay seller who sell just the bearing for about £5 so might try that next time it packs up.

If I'm fitting myself I'll often chance cheap parts but if paying someone it can be false economy.